Archive for the ‘Dining’ Category

One of the things about us three boys growing up at Lentor was in our conduct at family dinners. My mum insisted that we would always have meals together as a family.

It wasn’t too difficult early on when we were still schooling in the mid 70s to mid 80s. But when we each started national service, then undergraduates studies then finally work proper, it was increasingly hard. Still, our parents would typically wait for us to return home, sometimes as late as 8 pm, so we could all sit down for dinner together.

Whenever there was a soup dish on the table my mum would always request that we drink our soup politely and without slurping. Whenever one of us forgot, she’d remark pointedly, “he tang xiao sheng yi dian”, which translated literally means “drink soup a little quieter”. Likewise, when we were eating, the right way to do so was to chew without swankering it around in the mouth and making a din.

These lessons were ingrained in the three of us so it pretty much became natural behavior. Because of how our mum told us to adopt proper table manners, at least for me, I grew up assuming that the only and proper way of eating soup was to drink it quietly.

So, when I first saw / heard (take yer pick!) Ling drinking soup, and it went:

“SSSLLLLUUURRRRRPPPP”

I looked at her in abject horror! Now, Ling explained that no one at home ever told her that soup should be drunk otherwise. So, I went about looking around the topic of slurping, and it was quite a surprising find. Apparently, some Asians—especially the Japanese—think that sucking air as you drink soup adds to the taste.

Now, maybe I should ask some of my colleagues over at the Applied Sciences School (they teach food nutrition there) whether there’s any sort of biological basis to this. Oh yeah I could search online, but in this case I’d go with people who should really know. I certainly think there’s some cultural element to this, and definitely some sort of psychological effect. But in terms of etiquette, slurping is never considered polite, as this author says.

Be that as it may and maybe this sounds very elitist. But I honestly believe that air should only enter one’s body through the nose and not the mouth. And the loud, sucking-air slurping sound is the sort of sound that makes my hair stand in roughly the same way as say, scratching nails on a blackboard.

It’s sort of funny now. Because whenever my nephews are at Lentor for dinner and we’re also there, I see my mum teaching them the same Foo Family Table Etiquette (FATE ™) as she did for me from 30 years ago. I’m pretty certain when our own kids are old enough to dine on the family table, I’ll be passing on these very same lessons to them then too.

After an unsuccessful attempt at beef stew (I added too much red wine! Sobs!), I was determined to do it right. But this time, I chose something easier - chicken stew.

I went on a recipe hunt on the Internet again and found a well-reviewed and tested recipe on Recipezaar. Initially, I was skeptical over the reviews as the ingredients were too simple to be true. Nevertheless, I went ahead to give the recipe a shot and it turned out to be simply delicious! The soup was bursting with aromatic and delectable flavours. I believe the vegetables did it together with the chicken broth. Tomatoes, potatoes and carrots: they make up the terrific trio in the soup. They blend so well. Why, my mother also used this combo before but with water instead of chicken broth. The result was still irresistable. I remember sitting at my family home’s kitchen table sipping at her home-made soup with such contentment.

There’s another wonderful ingredient which Yang and I love to include in almost all of our home-cooked dishes. Fresh mushrooms, of course! Yang favours the white buttons while I enjoy a greater range of fungi. Anything from white/brown button mushrooms to shiitake, golden mushrooms, padi mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and portobellos. And do you know where to get the cheapest mushrooms? Not Cold Storage or NTUC. It is Sheng Siong supermarket. But it is a pity that the take-up rate of fresh mushrooms at Sheng Siong is poor. I feel so sad whenever I see those mushrooms ‘withering’ in their containers on the shelves. Yo people, start eating fresh mushrooms leh. They are good for you; high in fibre, protein, minerals and antioxidants (prevents cancer!) and low in fat. :)

I’m quite determined to look for the best laksa in Singapore. Conditions apply though: 1) The stall shouldn’t be too far away from my home, e.g. Tuas, 2) The rating is based on my preference. Hee hee :)

The laksa stall I’m blogging about today claimed to be the original Katong laksa. It has re-located to Bedok North already. I read about this stall on a local food blog and decided to give it a shot. This stall was mend by an uncle and another helper uncle (who brings you the laksa). It is situated in an old coffee shop of a HDB block which behind the Bedok Stadium and beside the SPC petrol kiosk. The stall name says ‘Marine Parade Laksa’ in English but ‘Katong laksa’ in Mandarin.

When I ordered a bowl of $3 laksa, I noticed that chopsticks were given. Hey, I though Katong laksa is well known for using only the soup spoon to eat from? Hmm, never mind. The laksa was served in the old-fashioned Chinese soup bowl with fresh laksa leaves garnishing. At first glance, the soup looked less milky and not as thick and viscous as 328 laksa. Hmm, okay. Now the taste. This soup has more complexity than 328’s. Good recipe. I continued slurping at the thick rice noodles and drinking the soup. Ah, it is homely and satisfying without the guilty notion that one is consuming too much unhealthy coconut milk. However, if you want the kick, then 328 will deliver it right to your face.

Next stop, the laksa at Roxy Square. :P

This is one of those rare weekends where my mind is in the care-free mode.

I’ve finished marking, returning and discussing my students’ work and now they are all busy with their final preparations for the examination tomorrow. In the meanwhile, they didn’t know that their teacher is having a great time :)

I called Doreen, my best friend of 20 years, to find out whether she was free to do some catching up. We managed to squeeze out a common time yesterday afternoon to do some cooking, chit-chatting and watching BBC’s Pride and Prejudice together. Since I had been keen on trying out a Ratatouille recipe taken from the Internet, and darling dearest doesn’t like eggplant, this was a perfect opportunity to cook and eat with my best friend who is adventurous in food. :)

The list of ingredients and steps for the dish looked daunting enough for me but the actual dish turned out to be surprisingly easy without a messy kitchen Yang had expected. Hee hee. *victory sign* “D The only thing about preparing this French dish is having the patience for the eggplant to release its juices during the simmering process.

We ate Ratatouille with slices of baguette and oh, it was so healthy and satisfying. We ate it warm but it was also good after it had cooled down to room temperature. :) The recipe I used had an unconventional ingredient, i.e. button mushrooms. In addition, the recipe I chose seemed to be easier to manage than others available on the Internet. :)

I found out that Doreen had been going through house-keeping training in her mission study course too! She used to take her own sweet time (me too!) to wash the dishes but yesterday changed my perception of her. Oh you should see how fast she was in helping to clean the dishes. I’m impressed. She’s definitely good for being a missionary and also a home-maker. Hee hee. :D

I’m sincerely serious about this.

I was at NTUC (Hougang Mall) to buy fruits today and deliberately steered clear of China Fuji apples and China yellow pears. I bought Ipoh’s Tambun pomelo (this is sweeter than the Thailand varieties), Australia’s navel oranges and Australia’s strawberries.

I’m a happy woman! :p

Here’s something that mildly peeves me about Singaporeans; that so many people just won’t return their trays. When Ling and I started going out years ago, I made it a point to get both of us to return our trays when we finish dining at foodcourts and fastfood restaurants.

On our part, it’s not really about being considerate towards our diners waiting for a table (we’ll clear our own table regardless of how packed the foodcourt is), but rather this feeling we share that don’t people find it embarrassing to have an old uncle or auntie retiree clearing after your mess. So, it’s a little encouraging to see an article in Tuesday’s The Straits Times that the Suntec City foodcourt is going to encourage its diners do return trays.

I also remember my Chinese teacher during my secondary school days. This fellow was the discipline master, and a really scary figure who wore a perpetual scowl on his face. I recall, if vaguely too, that he looked a little like Adolf Hitler (no kidding). I remembered that this teacher was disliked both for the merciless way he enforced discipline—which I accept was part of the job—but also that he had a massive ego to boot. On one occasion during class, I recalled he proudly stated as a matter-of-fact that he refuses to return trays in McDonald’s restaurants because to him because he resented all things ang moh, and by extension McDonald’s was an ang moh thing for him.

Still, school is resolving to get students in the faculty to do the same in the canteen too. Unfortunately, a couple of students are either trying to be funny or they seriously need an ethical wake up call. One fellow in my caregroup cheekily said that if we all return our own plates, the retirees will be all out of jobs. I now know what to say in his testimonial - hur hur hur! :)

It is one of those things where we’re of different opinions.

I prefer curry puffs from Old Chang Kee and Polar Puffs and Cakes while Yang prefers those from Tip Top. Sigh, I still don’t get it. What’s so special about Tip Top curry puff? Starting from the crust all the way to the curry, nothing excites my taste buds. Whether it is eaten piping hot or at room temperature, I wonder why others raved so much about this Tip Top curry puff. The crust is rather dry and the curry is so-so with a sourish tinge sometimes.

I like Old Chang Kee’s the best. :) The buttery flavour of the well-fried crust is so satisfying and the curry filling (got the usual potato and hard-boiled egg chunks) is so nonya and sufficiently moist! Polar Puffs and Cakes’ curry puffs used to be my favourite too (the crust was the flaky version and its curry was so delicious!) but its standard has dropped over the years. Sigh!

It’s a pity that Matt left at the time he did, because just a few weeks’ later, the food festival started. In fact, here’s what showed up in yesterday’s TODAY papers:

We’re fairly certain Matt would have won this contest easily. After all, you’re talking about someone who could stuff half a dozen roti pratas easily at a go. And the prize money of $2000 could have easily paid his ticket for another trip here! :)

There was a poem on people we meet and sometimes you only get to meet them once in your lifetime. I didn’t think much of it until Matt left us this morning. He has very much become a part of our lives during his 25 days stay here. Besides considering his needs in our daily plans, we got my best friend (’cookie pie’) to show him around here a bit, involved him in our church’s small group outing, got my dad to buy him durian and yang’s mom made him curries twice. His leaving us once more this round left me with a tinge of sadness. But darling said he was certain he’d be back soon. I hope that Banquet’s prata would still be holding out till he returns.

Sob story aside, so what was this ang mo like during his stay in Singapore - the gateway to Asia? He walked his calories away! He would walk to anywhere if he could! He travelled on foot from Rivervale to Hougang / Buangkok / Seng Kang MRT stations even when he could have taken a shuttle bus service. He walked from Ang Mo Kio to Upper Thomson Road’s Casuarina Curries to have his prata fix after eating A-star duck rice. On evenings, he would hop over to Punggol Park for a few rounds of brisk walking to dissolve the fats of dinner. He even contemplated to walk from Tampines Mall back to Rivervale (Seng Kang) after a super-heavy Din Tai Fung’s dinner. So if you felt as if there were lightning flashes out of nowhere, it was probably this white ang mo zipping through the streets of Singapore.

Now our ang mo friend is a devout foodie and a true adventurer. He stopped at nothing. Like a cyclone, he devoured everything in his path. Although nothing was spared, he brought smiles to all cooks/chefs at foodcourts, hawker centres and restuarants. His camera would go ‘click cluck…click cluck…’ before he reverently consumed the delicious dishes set before him. If you see him shooting at the name of the stall/restaurant, you knew that he approved of the cook. Sometimes, he would also compose a cheer for the stall!

Matt is a funny guy and sees the humour in the hum dum of life at large. He cracks at almost everything and paints people with a comical streak. Funny people often endear themselves to those around them. I admit that I’m one of ‘those’. :D And strangely enough, comical events tend to revolve around such funny characters too. For example, on his arrival at Changi Airport, his luggage has been mis-routed to Timbuktu and he was given S$120 to tide over his temporal inconvenience…incredible as the whole thing was (given that this is Singapore Airlines we were talking about) we had fun poking at the whole incident. Another funny incident happened recently too. He almost couldn’t clear the Malaysian border as he swam at Tioman with his passport in his pocket. A few customs stamps were totally washouts!

So Matt, the pleasure has been all ours to have you over at Rivervale-aka-a smaller dot in the red dot. We adore you, Matt. Till we meet again, take care and send our love to all your loved ones.

P.S. You know, I believe you missed your home at a subconscious level. The starry night skies? The plentiful trees and lush greenery? And where your loved ones are, that’s where your home is. :)

…what would you recommend him? Okay, this is my list of things to do:

Topmost on the list: Must bring him to try our local fare, of course!! I mean, we don’t have much of a natural heritage here, or any man-made wonders of the world (eh, does the Singapore Flyer count?), or dirt-cheap shopping, or nice quaint vintage houses, or tranquil countryside, etc.

Matt, our dear buddy, will be flying all the way from America to Singapore in a few weeks’ time. This will be his second visit here (he was Yang’s best man during our wedding, remember?) He will be here for our local food. He misses the Katong laksa, roti prata and dim sum. Okies, for the sake of our dear foodie friend, I shall draw up a list of must-try foods for him while he’s here again:

1. Paranakan Cuisine: laksa (Katong of course!), nonya curry, mee siam, rojak, popiah, kueh kueh, otah, etc
2. Chinese cuisine: dim sum (e.g. xiao long bao from Din Tai Fung), clear soups, congee (Crystal Jade’s), Hainanese chicken rice, duck rice (A* coffee shop), steamboat, shrimp dumpling noodles (Rivervale Mall’s Foodcourt), beef hor fun (Casaurina Rd), fried carrot cake (Shi Fu coffee shop), fried kway teow, fried rice (Din Tai Fung’s), chilli crabs (Jumbo’s), fried Hokkien mee (Punggol Plaza coffee shop), etc
3. Malay cuisine: mutton / beef rendang (my mother in-law’s one is good), satay, nasi briyani, nasi lemak, lontong, mee rebus, mee soto, mee goreng, etc
4. Indian cuisine: Roti prata (Compass Point Banquet - the best!), naan, teh tarik, teh halia, etc
5. Thai cuisine: green curry, mango and glutinous rice dessert, red rubies, sweet tapioca, etc
6. Local fruits: durian, mangosteen, malay apples, etc.

Pant, pant… did I miss out any ‘die die must try’ dishes? Tell me please ok?

As for places to look-see, here’s my rough plan:

1. Rustic pulau ubin
2. Bukit Timah nature reserve
3. Singapore Flyer
4. Singapore River / Clark Quay
5. Chinatown
6. Little India
7. Marina South (to have steamboat??)
8. Chinese Tea House ??
9. Zoo?
10. Where, where, where? Oh yah, go catch latest blockbusters…cheaper than the States…

This time round, we will still get Matt a tub of bak qua as happy-hour snack and stock loads of chilled green tea in our fridge. Now, haven’t we got something going?